


The Road Trip

by Luv2write



Series: Coming Home [2]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Comfort, Friendship, Night Terrors, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 15:33:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18640969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luv2write/pseuds/Luv2write
Summary: Jack is taking Mac with him on a road trip to Dallas, but things don't go quite as well as Mac hoped.





	The Road Trip

**Author's Note:**

> For this story to make the most sense, it's best to read part 1 in my series, but it's not totally necessary.  
> I hope y'all will enjoy this fic! Please read and review! :)

It was about a month after Mac's car accident, his arm was finally healed, and he was back to working fulltime at Jack's ranch. Mac's jeep had been fixed, with most of the money coming out of Mac's account, because of his dad not wanting to have to pay for something he thought his son could have avoided. But Mac didn't care, he was just happy being able to work with Jack again, he had missed the man a lot when he was layed up at home. He didn't want to admit, even to himself, how much he had come to be attached to Jack. Mac always felt safe and loved when he was around Jack, and he was both thrilled and surprised when Jack invited him to go to Dallas with him and look at some breeding stock. At first his dad had been hesitant about him going, but after Jack mentioned paying Mac for the help he provided on the trip, his dad finally agreed to his going.  
So there Mac was, sitting next to Jack in his big blue pickup, making the couple hour trip to Dallas.

Mac stared happily out the window, watching the fields of corn and cotton fly by, the sun shining brightly through the windshield.  
He heard Jack shift around next to him as the man grabbed his coffee mug and took a few sips before returning it to its cupholder.  
"How much longer until we get there?" Mac couldn't resist asking.  
He knew he probably sounded like some little kid, always asking are we there yet, but he was to excited to really care.  
Jack let out a little laugh. "About an hour. Why? Tired of the trip already?"  
"Oh, no." He said quickly. "It's just I've never been to Dallas before, and I can't wait to see it."  
"Well, it's definitely exciting, bordering on chaotic." Jack replied. "But I like it just the same."  
"I haven't done much traveling." He admitted a bit shyly.  
"Really?" Jack asked, actually sounding interested.  
"Yeah, my Dad is to busy with work." He told him. "He said we don't have time for that sort of nonsense."  
Jack snorted. "Nonsense? Now why would he call traveling nonsense?"  
Mac just shrugged, he wasn't really sure himself, he just knew that his dad disliked having to take him anywhere. Which is why he got his license as soon as he turned 16.  
There was a moment of silence before Jack took one hand off of the steering wheel and gestured animatidly out Mac's window.  
Mac couldn't help but flinch, jerking his head backwards when he saw the hand in front of his face. He felt his head hit the window on his side with a sharp crack, making him let out a yelp.  
Jack turned to stare worriedly at Mac, concern written on his face.  
"Are you okay, kid?"  
Mac forced a smile into his face, trying not to grimace at the pain in his head.  
"Sheesh, Jack. Don't startle a guy like that." He said forcing a little laugh at the end.  
Inwardly he was scolding himself for acting like that, he knew Jack wouldn't hurt him, all he was going to do was make his friend suspicious.  
He saw Jack relax at his laugh.  
"Sorry, about that." Jack told him sincerely.  
"No problem." Mac replied with a little shrug, making sure the smile stayed on his face. "I think I was starting to doze."  
"You can sleep if you want to." Jack told him, glancing at the car clock. "I'll wake you when we get there."  
"I think I'll do that." Mac said, glad to have an excuse to stop talking.  
He turned so he was facing out the window, and closed his eyes with a tired sigh. Even though he was exhausted, he doubted he'd be getting much sleep with so many thoughts of his dad and Jack tumbling around in his head.  
About 10 minutes later Mac was fast asleep.

Jack glanced over at the boy sleeping next to him, he had just reached the city limits of Dallas, but the kid looked so tired that he hated to wake him.  
When they were about 5 minutes out from their hotel he reached over and gently shook Mac's shoulder.  
"Hey, Mac, it's time to wake up."  
Mac sat up quickly at his touch, a hand reaching up and covering his forehead with a grimace.  
"Are you okay, bud?" He asked Mac in concern. "You hit that window pretty hard earlier."  
Mac immediately dropped his hand and flashed Jack a sleepy smile.  
"I'm okay." The kid replied quickly. "Just a bit of a headache."  
"Alright, but if you need something for the pain just let me know." He told him gently, knowing that Mac didn't like having to ask for things.  
"I will." Mac replied absently as he stared out the window, a smile growing on the boys face as he took in the sights.  
"Welcome to Dallas." Jack told him with a big smile on his face.  
After a few more minutes Jack maneuvered his truck into a parking lot.  
"You hungry, kid?" He asked.  
At Mac's nod he pulled into a drivethruogh and got them some burgers to take with them to the hotel.  
After getting back on the road it only took a few minutes to get to their hotel and check in.  
Jack dropped his bag by his bed with a yawn, then turned and watched Mac do the same with the other bed. It was a standard hotel room with two twin beds, a simple tv, and a small kitchen, but Mac looked excited about it none the less.  
He grinned as Mac flopped backwards onto the bed with a deep sigh of contentment.  
Jack located the remote and turned on the tv, and after handing Mac his burger, settled down to watch a movie. They ate quickly, then began to talk and joke about the movie, an old western that Jack loved. When the next western began to play, Mac stood up and after rifling through his bag, told Jack he was going to use the shower.  
"Alright, kid." He said, to comfortable on the bed to want to move. "But be prepared for a western marathon when you get out."  
Mac let out a fake, exasperated groan as he closed the bathroom door.  
Jack grinned and shook his head fondly. He meant to stay awake, but he was so tired from the drive, and the comforter was so soft. 5 minutes later Jack drifted off to sleep, the western still playing on the tv.

When Mac left the bathroom he was surprised to see that Jack was sleeping. A glance at the tv showed the western shows were still playing, and checking the clock he saw it was almost 8 o'clock. Not wanting to disturb Jack, he turned down the volume on the tv and pulled out his phone. The room was silent except for Jack's quiet snoring, so an hour later Mac just turned off his phone, the tv, and all of the hotel lamps but one. And after pulling back the covers he snuggled under the thick comforter and fell fast asleep. Unfortunately, his dreams weren't so pleasant.

Jack awoke to a mostly dark room, he lay there silently for a moment, trying to figure out what had woke him. Then he heard a quiet whimper from the other side of the room, making him sit up with a frown. A glance at the boy's bed showed Mac to be moving slightly and mumbling unintelligible things. Jack slipped out of his bed, shaking his head to clear the fuzziness of sleep out of it, and moved over to Mac's bed. The kids eyes were closed tightly, as if in pain, and he began to toss his head back and forth on the pillow.  
Jack leaned over the kid. "Mac? Hey, Mac? Are you okay, bud?"  
He lightly touched Mac's shoulder when the boy began to whimper again.  
"Kid, you need to wake up. It's just a dream. Your alright, Mac, wake up."  
When that didn't work, Jack let out a sigh and shook Mac's shoulder more roughly.  
"Mac, wake up!"  
Jack jerked back in surprise when Mac suddenly bolted up with a shout.  
"No, please, don't hurt me!"

Mac scrambled backwards on the bed, trying to get away from the dark figure that was bending over him. In the dark he misjudged the distance and fell off the side of the bed with a yelp. He pushed himself backwards until his back collided with the wall, and he sat there gasping and trembling, trying to slow his breathing. His eyes were closed, and he was confused.  
"Where was he?" He wondered.  
Then it all came back to him, the road trip, the hotel, Jack, wait, Jack.  
His eyes flew open and he found the ex-delta kneeling on the floor in front of him, his hands hovering like he wanted to touch him, but didn't want to frighten him anymore.  
"It's alright, Mac." Jack said soothingly once Mac opened his eyes. "It's just me. You were having a bad dream, I didn't mean to startle you."  
Mac couldn't help the few tears that slipped past his defenses. He tried not to cry, his father said it made him weak, but he couldn't help it, the dream had seemed so real…  
He was jerked back to the present when Jack suddenly leaned forward and gently gathered Mac into a hug.  
Mac froze for a moment, every muscle tense, and trying to still the trembles that wracked his body. But Jack just started gently rubbing his back and murmuring soothing words, and Mac couldn't hold it in any more. He pressed his head against Jack's shoulder and slowly brought his arms up to clutch the back of Jack's shirt, and let the tears fall.

Jack felt the kid finally relax against him, and the trembling finally slowed down to a few random shudders. After a while Mac's breathing slowed down and evened out, and Jack realized that the kid had fallen back asleep. He gently lifted Mac and placed the boy back in his bed, then pulled the covers over him. He stood there for a moment and stared at Mac, gently brushing a strand of hair off of Mac's forehead.  
As he lay back down on his bed, he couldn't help but wonder what the boy was dreaming about to provoke such a terrified reaction. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes, that boy was such a mystery sometimes.

When Mac awoke the next morning, he was slightly confused. He sat up and glanced over at Jack's bed, it was empty. He realized the shower was running and figured Jack had risen earlier and hadn't wanted to wake him. As he sat there parts of last night slowly came back to him, and he closed his eyes with a groan. He couldn't believe he had reacted that way, panicking from a bad dream then crying on Jack's shoulder and practically falling asleep in his lap. How embarrassing, what would the man think of him now?

When Jack exited the bathroom he found Mac already dressed and just sitting on his bed fidgeting with his hands. He realized that Mac was embarrassed about last night, and decided it was best not to mention it.  
"Ready to go get some breakfast, Bud?"  
Mac looked up at him a little shyly. "Yeah, whenever you are." He replied as he slid off the bed and moved to join Jack at the door.  
"Good." He said as he slung his arm over Mac's shoulder. "And when we're done we'll hit the road to take a look at those horses."  
Mac gave him a smile this time, and Jack smiled back, squeezing Mac's shoulders gently. He couldn't wait to to spend some more time with this kid.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the Macgyver series or any of its characters, I'm just a huge fan.


End file.
